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Getting Started: Finding Funds

Access to capital for an energy-efficiency upgrade need not be an issue. Some upgrades require little funding. For those that do require investment, don't worry; there are many traditional and non-traditional financial resources available. A well-designed upgrade can provide your facility a positive cash flow from energy savings while paying off the investment for new equipment.

For small, inexpensive projects, you may want to use your own internal funds to pay for the upgrade. Depending on your congregation's finances, this could come from your savings, operating budget, or funding raising initiatives. For larger jobs, financing might be the only way to pay for the upgrade. Fortunately, a variety of sources and mechanisms exist to help finance energy-efficiency improvement projects.

It's your decision to weigh your competing needs for funds versus continuing increases in operating costs for energy. Remember - even a long-term investment on energy efficiency results in affordable comfort, and new, more reliable equipment that will pay for itself with energy savings. Strategic energy-efficiency investments are your hedge against the certainty of higher utility bills that you cannot control.

The following resources can help you find funding information and opportunities for your upgrade:

• To help you locate special offers and rebates in your area, ENERGY STAR provides an online zip code driven tool. Another resource for incentives and rebates is the DSIRE Database for State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency .
• ENERGY STAR's Directory of Energy Efficiency Programs (DEEP)
• Energy Crossroads
• DOE's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Financial Opportunities
• National Association of State Energy Officials' "State and Territory Energy Offices" Web page
• Alliance to Save Energy's Financing Energy Efficiency Web page
• Local Government Commission's Funding Opportunities
• Another aspect of funding energy efficiency is group purchasing to achieve lower unit prices on efficient equipment with volume purchases. Read more about this strategy in ENERGY STAR's Group Purchasing Fact Sheet (165KB).